A family who provided a sample for DNA testing has helped forensics successfully identify their relative who disappeared 31 years ago.
The Hamilton County Coroner’s Office in Indiana confirmed in a statement that human remains — discovered in 1996 on suspected serial killer Herb Baumeister’s 18-acre property in Westfield known as Fox Hollow Farm — matched a DNA sample from the family of Manuel Resendez.
“Manuel Resendez was reported missing [in] August 1993,” reads the announcement of January 25. “The identification of Manuel Resendez was the result of the dedication of many forensic experts who collaborated in an effort to identify the nearly 10,000 human remains found at Fox Hollow Farm.”
PEOPLE has reached out to the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office for more details about Resendez and the process of identifying him and the other victims.
Photo of Manuel Resendez before he disappeared.
Hamilton County Coroner’s Office/Facebook
Gone without a trace: Help us find these 10 missing children
Resendez was 34 when he disappeared in the 90s, according to reports The Indianapolis Star. The publication said he was originally identified, through dental records, in the 1990s as one of Baumeister’s two dozen victims, but Resendez’s relatives wanted a DNA match to confirm that finding.
The coroner’s office asked the families of young men who disappeared in the ’80s and ’90s to submit DNA samples, which led to other recent identifications besides Resendez’s for matching human remains found on Baumeister’s property in Westfield, according to NBC news.
Want to keep up with the latest crime reports? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for the latest crime news, coverage of ongoing trials and details on intriguing unsolved cases.
Hamilton County Coroner Jeff Jellison thanked forensic experts and police for identifying Resendez’s human remains through DNA tests.
“Special thanks go to the hardworking people at the Indiana State Police Laboratory and Dr. Kristi Latham of the Department of Biology and Anthropology at the University of Indianapolis,” he said in a statement.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education